Gas-producer.



O. A. GOBBE. fGAS PRODUCER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1909.

1,009,064., Patented 11101.21, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

o. A. GOBBB. GAS PRODUCER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 5. 1909.

1,009,064- Patented Nov.21, 1911.

3 SHEETS-HEBT s.

TTE@ P F.

OLIVIER .ANDR GOBBE, OF JUMET, BELGIUM, .ASSIGNOR 'lIO EMILE GOBBE, OF JUIVIET,

' BELGIUM.

GAS-PRODUCER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented New. ai, ieii.

To all 'whom 'it may Aconcern:

Be it known that I, OLIVIER ANDR Groen, subject of the King of the Belgians, residing at Jumet, Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas- Producers; and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a producer serving for the distillat-ion of coal 0r any other solid fuel for obtaining illuminating gas or heating gas, and coke. The distillation ofthe coal takes place with liberation of heat; if all the losses of heat produced in a gas producer, that is to say losses through the walls, are avoided, and

if the gas and the coke are withdrawn cold the distillation will take place with a very small expenditure of fuel. In practice it is not possible to-realize t-hese conditions Vperfectly but they can be. approached by providing the producer with the various means which form the object of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an axial section of a gas producer constructed inaccordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line A-B Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line C-D. Fig. 4f is a cross section on the line E-F,

and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a modified `form of the gas producer.

This gas producer presents the general form of a very high producer of the ordinary-type.

The inner refractory acket a; of the producer is separated from the outer jacket Zn by a space c in which gas supplied from the producer through small holes Z 'can be burned. The comburent air enters at the base of this annular space through openings f which can be closed as desired. The combus'tion which takes place in the space c heats the walls of the producer and the products of combustion escape through the j chimney g in a relatively cool condition. y

The coal is introduced through a hopper It, and holes i closed by small plugs enable the operation of the apparatus to be infspected andthe large lumps of coke to be broken up from time to time in order to facilitate the passage of the gases and the descent of the fuel.

The ash pit is formed by a circular apron 7s the edges vof which enter water seals. Counterweights Z balance 'this apron in order to facilitate its operation.

The illuminating gas issues at the top of the producer through the opening m, part of it being directed toward the scrubbers and the gas bell in passing through the conduit n provided with a valve p', While the other part returns to the base of the'producer in passing through'the tube or conduit o provided with a valve 27. The tar which condenses in the conduit o and in the set of tubes forming the conduit n is collected in a tank g.

The operation of vthe apparatus is as follows: For ring-up, wood and coal are burned at the base of the producer the ash pit being then open. During this time the products of combustion are allowed to escape through the chimney g or through the hopper, which is left open. c In case the hop- `per is closed the rising products ofcombustion leave-the producer through the openings d, whencethey pass into the hollow wall and then to the chimney. During this firing up, the valves p, p are closed. When the producer is filled with well kindled fuel, the ash pit and the hopper are closed. The valves 7J and 72 are then opened so that a part of the relatively cold gas leaving the producer descends toward the ash pit through the conduit 0 while the other part proceeds directly into the conduit n, the scrubbers and the gas. bell. The relatively cold gas which reaches the ash pit absorbs the heat stored in the coke which is at the base of the producer and cools it in carrying` its heat units upward into the zone of theV reactions where other gases are produced. The mixture of return gas and gas produced passes through the layer of cold coal with which the apparatus is regularly charged from above and heats this coal hefore escaping in a relatively cold state through the discharge outlet or passage m. An extractor (not shown in the drawing) sucks the gas produced and causes it to circulate in the conduit a and forces it into rthe gas bell after it has passed through the ordinary scrubbers. (The bell and the scrubbers are not shown in the drawing).

As the column of gas which` rises in lthe producer has a mean temperature much higher than that of the gas contained in the tillation zone intermittently asis the case ducer takes place automatically. This circulation could, however, be facilitated by means of a rotating fan sucking the gas at the upper part of the gas producer in orderA t0 force it back to the ash pit; the same result could be obtained in sending directly to the ash pit cold gas under pressure taken from the gas bell. It is only necessary to regulate in a suitable manner the extent of aperture of the valve p to cause the velocity4 of this gaseous current to besuch that all the heat contained inv the red coke shall be completely and methodically recuperated by the cold gas. In order to effect this recuperation thoroughly the gas must circulate slowly so that the greater part of the cold..

as may havetime to pass actually into the interior vof the lumps of coke which are suilicientlyspongy to permit of, this. If these conditions are appropriately fulfilled the apparatus will 'act as an actual heat filter and the gas will enter thereaction zone at a temperature almost equal to that of'the lumpsiof coke through which it has just passed. If onthe other hand the gasv should circulate too rapidly, the exchange of heat units would not be sufficient and the gas would reach the distillationzone in too cold a state whichfwould' speedilycoolthe producer and bring the reactions to an end;

Cooling of the producer 'is avoided by constantly burning a small Y' quantityigof` gas in the double jacket e or byA allowin'gair to entery through the ash pit every'njtime it is opened for withdrawing afcertain quantity of coldcoke.. Assuming thatfit is .necessary to open the ash pit every'hour in,or der to extract cold coke and assuming that this operation occupies a few minutes only during this time, the air will burn a small portion ofthe coke which will reheat the disin Water gas producers. During this period,

carbonio oxid gas is produced and is burnedl in the space c by opening the chimney g and the air holes fl when the ash ypit is opened.' The duration of these periods of internal reheating can be readily regulated in such a manner as to maintain the producer constantly at the desired temperature.

'The coke burned during this period of internal reheating and also the gas that is allowed to burn in the double jacket of the producer, cannot amount to any considerable expenditure of fuel, becauseV this producer produces cold gas and cold coke. It only loses heat'units through its Walls, which can, however, be made very thick. It there- A fore realizes the conditions which must be obtained for distilling coal without expenditure of vfuel or in expending but a very small quantity.

'Fig. 5 shows a producer 1- in combination with a smaller producer 2 in which a small quantity of coke is burned separately for the purpose of supplying the producer 1 with the heat units necessary to avoid cooling it. The upper part of this producer is the same as inFig. 1 with this difference that the gas intended to-be returned to the.

ash pit is taken at 5 slightly below the upper level of the fresh coal, with the object of obtaining at 'this point a gas containing but little hydrocarbon and a large quantity of hydrogen, in order to avoid the decomposition of the hydrocarbons during their passage through the red coke. The gas' rich in hydrocarbons leaves the producer through the opening 6 and proceeds directly to the fscrubbers, the extractor and the 'gas bell.

The passage. of 4gas through the upright exterior outlet conduit 7X is controlledby a counterweight valvel 5*, at the junction of said conduit with the outlet passage 5. The

ash pit difl'er's'in form from that represented in Fig. 1. The cold coke is removed through doors 3 which are closed in the same manner as retort heads. In order to facilitate the removal of the coke, pointed rods are passed through the holes 4: in such a manner as toconstitute afalse grate which is remo-ved and replaced every time a chargeof coke is withdrawn.

The small producer 2 is charged with coke through the opening 7 It may be constructed in various ways.

1. If the illuminating power-of the gas is of little importance, the poor gas is sent of the producer 1. In order to do so it is directly from this producerinto the interior only necessary to open the damper 8 which l places the producer 2 in communication with the small holes 9. In this case all the other dampers of the producer 2 are closed and the door of the ash pit is opened to supply primary air to the producer 2. V

2. If a rich gas of high illuminating I power is required, the damper 10 is opened in order to send the burned gases of the furnace of the producer 2 into the conduit 11. The other dampers lare closed, but the ash pit is open and so is the chimney 12 in order to increase the. draft inthe proiisA ducer furnace and draw into the doubleV jacket 13 all the heatl liberated during this period. v

After operating with forced draft for some ten minutes, the coke of the producer 2 will have' become ver hot and cold gas can be passed through 1t for absorbing its heat units and conveying .themto the interior of the producer 1. In order to do so it is only necessary to close the ash pit and place it in communication with the ash pit of the producer 1 by opening the damper 14. The damper 10 is then closed and the damper 8 opened s0 that the cold gas coming from the bottom of the producer 1 passes `4o downward a part of such gas at the side ofA into the producer -,2, becomes highly heated there and enters Athe producer Lthrough the small holes 9', thusv re-heating this producer byV internal heat but-with external combustion of the coke. The installation is run in this' manner for about vten minutes likewise, then the producer 2 is re-heated as before by opening the door of the ash pit and the chimney12 in order to draw the heat into theannular space 13 and so on in succession, as is done in water gas producers. "It would even be admissible to send steam through the opening` 15 into the producer 2 during the period of internal heat ing of the producer l, in order to produce water gas in the producer 2 for mixing with the distillation gas of the producer l, while at the same time heating the latter.

This gas producer is intended .to be used in place of furnaces for making coke and gas retorts for distillation of coal and any other solid fuel (Wood, peat, brown coal, etc.) which will produce by distillation rich gas and coke. Y

I claim:

l. The combination,'in a gas producer, of

means for effecting a separation of the body,

of gas given oil' at the upper end of the producen'means for carrying downward a part of such gas at' the side of the producer and exteriorly thereof, and reintroducing it, without prior combustion, directly into the red coke in the 4lower part of the producer, and means to burn gas from the producer in proximity to the Wall of the latter, for reheating purposes.

2. The combination, in a gas producer having a hollow wall, of means for effecting a separation of the gas given oif at the up per end of the producer, means for carrying the producer eXteriorly thereof and reintro ducing it without prior combustion directly into the red coke in the lower part of the producer, means to admit gas to the producer wall for reheating purposes, and closures to admit air to the space in said wall.

-3..The combination, in a gas producerhaving a hollowwall, of means for effecting a separation of the body of gas given ofi' at the upper end ofthe producer, means for carrying downward a part of such gas at the side of the producer and exteriorly therecutting off entirely the supply of air to the i .lower end of the producer, and means .to

conduct gas into the producer wall for reheating purposes. f

4. A gas producer having an outlet passage for the gas, an exterior return tube or conduit leading from said passage back to the producer, an exterior nac-take conduit leading from said passage to carry off a portion of the gas, and an independent valve in each of said' conduits to control the amount of gas flowing into the same. Y

5. The combination, in a gas producer having ahollow wall, of a chimney communicating-with the space in said wall at one side of the producer, a gas outlet at the opposite side of the producer, means to lead a part of the gas from said outlet back beneath the body of coke in the producer, and

means toburn a quantity of gas in said hollow wall.

'-6. The combination, in a gas producer having a hollow wall with a horizontal series of openings leading fromrtheinterior of the producer into the space in said wall, of means to drawfoli the gas produced, means to re-introduce a part of such gas into the producer beneath the body of coke therein; and means to admit air to the hollow wall to promote combustion of the gas issuing into the same when such gas is ignited to reheat the producer.

in presence of two witnesses.

oLiviER ANDR GoBBE. Witnesses J osnPH CoLiNn'r, JAMES M. G. FAY.

.90 .7. The combination, in a gas producer, of f a gas outlet to carry off the gas produced,- 

